Glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic materials, many of which are configured or otherwise processed with various strength-enhancing features, are prevalent in various displays and display devices of many consumer electronic products. For example, chemically strengthened glass is favored for many touch-screen products, including cell phones, music players, e-book readers, notepads, tablets, laptop computers, automatic teller machines, and other similar devices. Many of these glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic materials are also employed in displays and display devices of consumer electronic products that do not have touch-screen capability, but are prone to direct human contact, including desktop computers, laptop computers, elevator screens, equipment displays, and others.
These glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic materials, however, are often subject to human contact that can result in surface contamination, visible fingerprints, staining, and other foreign substances that can affect optical clarity of the displays and display devices employing these materials. In addition, these displays and display devices frequently employ optical coatings, such as anti-reflective (AR) coatings that are particularly prone to surface contamination, stains and the like from direct human contact. Further, these unwanted foreign substances can negatively affect the aesthetics of the products employing these displays and display devices. In addition, these reductions in optical clarity can cause a user to increase the brightness of the display device, leading to increased battery usage and less time between charging evolutions.
In view of these considerations and drawbacks associated with glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic material surfaces, many consumer electronic products employing these materials also feature an easy-to-clean (ETC) coating over any surfaces of the glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic substrates exposed to human contact and any other optical coatings, if present. Many of these ETC coatings contain one or more fluorinated materials. These ETC coatings are generally hydrophobic and oleophobic in nature, and can also be referred to as “anti-fingerprint,” “lubricious” or “anti-smudge” coatings. Among the benefits offered by ETC coatings is an added degree of ease in removing fingerprints, stains and other surface contamination from these glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic materials. ETC coatings, given their hydrophobic and oleophobic nature, are also less likely to retain or be prone to surface contamination from human contact in the first instance.
While ETC coatings offer many benefits to electronic products employing glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic materials in their displays and display devices, the coatings themselves can be sensitive to wear. For example, wear associated with these coatings can negatively affect their hydrophobicity and/or oleophobicity, which can reduce the ability of the coating to perform as intended. In addition, the wear associated with these ETC coatings can be exacerbated by the presence of an optical coating and/or scratch-resistant coating between the ETC coating and the glass, glass-ceramic or ceramic materials, as these intervening coatings can have increased roughness relative to the exposed surface of the glass, glass-ceramic or ceramic material itself. In addition, the added cost associated with ETC coating materials and processing can make such coatings less desirable for use on glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic materials and substrates employed in certain consumer electronic products with high consumer cost sensitivity.
In view of these considerations, there is a need for glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic articles with lubricious coatings with high durability, along with methods of making the same. In addition, there is a need for glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic articles with lubricious coatings having a high durability and low added cost associated with the coating.